Christian-Muslim Dialogue Group Offers 8 Joint Proposals

The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies of Amman, Jordan, held their fourth colloquium in Rome last week.
The theme chosen was “Shared values in social and political life: Christian and Muslim perspectives.” The colloquium expressed, “We share beliefs and moral values. Our commonalities are much more than our particularities, and they constitute a solid basis for peacefully and fruitfully living together, also with persons of good will who do not profess a particular religion”

The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies of Amman, Jordan, held their fourth colloquium in Rome last week.

The theme chosen was “Shared values in social and political life: Christian and Muslim perspectives.”

The theme was studied through three subthemes:

“Citizens and believers: Christian and Muslim perspectives”,

“Our shared values and respective particularities”

“Reaching out for the needy and the vulnerable: a common concern for Christians and Muslims”.

Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran presided over the Catholic delegation, and His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the institute headed the Muslim delegation. Both delegations were received by Pope Francis on Wednesday 4 May.

At the end of the colloquium, the participants proposed the following:

1. We share beliefs and moral values. Our commonalities are much more than our particularities, and they constitute a solid basis for peacefully and fruitfully living together, also with persons of good will who do not profess a particular religion.

2. We believe in the humanising and civilising role of our religions, when their followers adhere to their principles of worshipping God and loving and caring for the other.

3. We believe that God bestowed upon every person dignity and inalienable rights. They are His gifts that should be recognised, guaranteed and protected by law.

4. We pledge our solidarity with our brothers and sisters in humanity who are in any kind of need regardless of their ethnic, religious or cultural background.

5. Our help to the poor and the needy should be offered out of compassion and for the sake of God’s favour. It should never be used to proselytise.

6. We believe that the youth represent not only the future of humanity. They are also an important part of its present. They have the right to proper education that prepares them to be good citizens respectful of diversity.

7. Our world, our “common home”, is going through many complicated crises and needs the steady efforts of its inhabitants to make it a suitable place where we can live together peacefully, sharing the resources of the universe, mindful of future generations.

8. We express our proximity and solidarity with all those who suffer, especially from violence and armed conflict. Respect for international law, dialogue, justice, mercy, compassion are values and adequate means to achieve peace and harmony.